Newsletter

Geothermal on Tybee agenda

The city of Tybee Island recently used an energy grant to install a geothermal heating and cooling system underground next to city hall. Now the city is in line to receive an additional $90,000 from the state for the heat pumps needed to make the system work, but not everyone digs the idea.

City Councilman Paul Wolff said the system — which uses the constant temperature of the Earth to heat and cool — will reduce costs by about 40 percent. That will be in addition to the reduced energy use from other grant-funded improvements, including the installation of foam insulation, efficient lighting and programmable thermostats, Wolff said.

The only cost to the city would be about $525 worth of staff time to prepare the request for proposals and move out the old heat pumps, he said.

But council member Wanda Doyle said city hall’s current heat pumps should not be replaced until necessary and the system’s installation and use will likely take more staff time than Wolff’s projections.

“I have never seen a number of how many staff hours have been spent that were never included in the grant,” she said.

The original $300,000 grant was used to make improvements to city hall and three other city buildings. The energy savings derived from the improvements are supposed to be invested in a fund that will pay for additional projects such as the geothermal system’s completion.

So far, about $2,100 saved during the first quarter of the fiscal year has been invested, said City Manager Diane Schleicher.

The council will vote on whether to accept the grant during tonight’s meeting.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Okinawa, Japan — Marine Corps Captain James E. Frederick, who ejected from a Marine F/A-18 on Dec. 7, was pronounced dead after his body was found during search and rescue operations.